Briefing and Evaluation of Buildings

The course provides a thorough introduction to and knowledge of methods and tools for evaluating the use of buildings, as well as analyzing and defining functional needs and requirements for an organization. Emphasis is placed on an overall understanding of the interaction between the overarching objectives of an organization, users’ description of needs, available technology and services, in relation to demands towards the physical environment

The course focuses on user involvement and the briefing process, which spans from the client’s initial idea for a building project to the completed and approved building brief. The course will review various techniques for evaluating buildings in use as a basis for briefing new buildings, as well as for assessing and re-briefing needs for existing buildings. We will address what a construction brief includes, who participates in briefing, the collection and processing of information, and different working methods/techniques used in the briefing process.

KNOWLEDGE - The Candidate:

• Can explain the different forms of value a building contributes to creating.
• Can explain the main components of a brief, what it includes, and how briefing is integrated into the overall building process.
• Can explain various briefing methods and systems for structuring information to analyze and define requirements/needs for an organization.
• Can explain methods and frameworks that can be used to evaluate usability for buildings in use.
• Can explain what user involvement is, the minimum level of user involvement in different projects, how user involvement can be structured, and the opportunities and pitfalls associated with user involvement.
• Can explain relevant technical terms and expressions and the relationships between them.

SKILLS - The Candidate:

• Can develop a plan for a briefing process, including the need for user involvement and decisions along the way.
• Can carry out an evaluation of usability for a specific organization in a building, based on the methods and tools presented in the course.
• Can analyze findings and make a holistic assessment of usability in a building in relation to an organization’s objectives.
• Can use relevant theory and empirical data to discuss findings and provide recommendations for improvements to buildings/use based on this.
• Can use relevant technical terms and expressions and communicate project results both in writing and orally in a structured and clear manner.

GENERAL COMPETENCE - The Candidate:

• Has an overall understanding of the complexity, stakeholder landscape, and power structures in briefing and evaluation.
• Has an overall understanding of the value of good briefing and evaluation—for property developers, owners or tenants (organizations), users, and society at large.
• Has a good understanding of the relationship between briefing and evaluation, and changes and transformation of buildings/use.
• Has in-depth understanding of how usability in a building is connected to and influenced by factors related to organization, technology, physical environment, and other framework conditions.

• Learning activities consist of lectures and selected workshops to provide a knowledge base and understanding of the subject area.
• Students will conduct a case study aimed at mapping usability in a building. The case study will be submitted as part of the project assignment.
• Exercises and project work are primarily organized as group work, but individual work may be considered if special circumstances apply.
• The course requires 80% attendance at scheduled lectures for submission of the project assignment.